FROM FEAR TO MURDER

• DAY 182
• FEAR FILES: DAVID
• SCRIPTURES: 2 SAMUEL 11

“Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold. Then David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house. And the woman conceived; so she sent and told David, and said, “I am with child.” Then David sent to Joab, saying, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent Uriah to David. In the morning it happened that David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. And he wrote in the letter, saying, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retreat from him, that he may be struck down and die.””

‭‭II Samuel‬ ‭11‬:‭2‬, ‭4‬-‭6‬, ‭14‬-‭15‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Never have I seen a person that committed any kind of sin, crime, or error, not want to cover it up. In fact, in human nature, the first instinct we get when we do something wrong is to make sure that nobody finds out. The shame and the fear of the consequences of our actions always drive us to hide what we’ve done, and it was no different for David. 

So far, we’ve looked at how David earned the title of ‘Man After God’s Heart’, how he was courageous, and how his name was mentioned in Hebrews Chapter 11, the Hall of Fame for Faith. But here we find that this man of faith also slipped up, he also fell. He took another man’s wife and lay with her. Not any man oh! one of his men that was at that time fighting a war for his kingdom. And when his actions resulted in her pregnancy, he did what any of us would have done, he looked for a way to cover it up. Isn’t that what we do when we see that the things we did in secret, are about to become known? 

A Failed Plan

The consequence of that action was non-existent at the time when we were committing the sin. But all of a sudden, as soon as the sin is done and there is evidence left behind, we become anxious and afraid and we try the best we can to make sure that the consequences, or the aftermath, do not come to light. But David did not count on the fact that his cover-up scheme was going to fail.

I mean he had it all planned, ‘call Uraiah back from war, get him drunk, and have him lay with his wife, so the pregnancy will be said to be his. But he did not count on the fact that Uriah was a very loyal and law-abiding man. He didn’t want to relax or enjoy himself while his colleagues were out there fighting for their lives and their freedom and safety. So that destroyed David’s plan to cover up. But you see, the thing with fear is that once it pushes you one step and you succumb to it, it will push you further and further and even more further. 

Plan B

So when the cover-up did not work, David knew that the only way he could save face was to make sure that there was nobody to accuse him of what he had done wrong. So he thought again, if he eliminated the witness, if he eliminated the potential accuser, then there would be no one to pin it on him. He wouldn’t have to face what people say, no one would look at him weirdly or questionably and that way, he could probably paint himself as a savior who took in the wife of one of his soldiers that was killed in battle.

Maybe those were the thoughts that went through his mind, as he tried to justify what he did. But as we saw his fear turned him from an adulterer to a murderer. 

That’s what happens when you give in to your fears, it will push you from frying pan to fire, instead of one line, you will cross ten. Because until that fear is eliminated, you will not feel comfortable with yourself. Beloved, don’t let fear dictate your actions. And just for the record, before you do anything, consider all the possible outcomes. Consider the consequences so that you don’t make yourself susceptible to fear and then position yourself to do even more harm than you had done before. 

Reflect

Right now, as you are reading this if there is something that you have done that you are afraid and ashamed of. It may be something that has the power to destroy your reputation, your career, your relationships, and even your life. It’s time to go back to God, don’t make things worse by trying to cover up. Cover-ups never really work. And if they do, they don’t work for long. Somewhere along the line, somebody is going to come up and dig up something that you’ve been trying to hide, and can even use it to blackmail and extort you. 

I pray that you would recognize today that it is better to run to the Father and repent and ask him for help than for you to take laws into your hands and allow your fears direct and lead you into more danger. I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Shalom.